Bale ejector



C. REICHERT March 25, 1952 BALE EJEICTOR Filed April 18, 1949 Patented Mar. 25, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BALE smo'ron Carl Reichert, Fort Wayne, Ind.

Application April 18, 1949, Serial No. 88,145

This invention relates to improvements in a bale ejector for a compress of a common-type that has a cage provided with front and eba'ck'doors, an abutment at its upper end, and' a movable platen activated by a hydraulic ramor other prime mover.

One of the objects of the invention is to afford an automatically operated attachment for the compress so arranged in connection therewith, that after a bale is formed in the cage and wire bound in the usual manner, thebale will become ejected automatically from the" cage upon lowering of the platen while the doors of the cage are open.

Another object of the invention is to construct the ejector of few parts so as to require but little manipulation in throwing'it into and out of action without interference with operation of the compress mechanism.

And a further object of the invention is to provide a baler attachment for a compress, that may readily be installed in connection therewith without requiring material alteration thereof;

Other objects and advantages of the invention appear in the following description.

An illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings} in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary diagrammatical side elevational view of an ordinary compress to which the present invention is applied;

Fig. 2 is a similar front elevational view projected from Fig. 1;

Fig. 3'is a fragmentary horizontal plan view in section in a plane above the platen;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of a hitch-plate forming part of the attachment;

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of the platen and a hollow bar hinged thereon in 'which the hitch-plate is arranged, parts being in section; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the structure shown in Fig. 5. a

The illustrative embodiment of the invention consists of an attachment applicable to an ordinary compress indicated generally by A, such as has an abutment 1 located at its upper end, supported by beams 8, and a movable platen 9 by which material to be baled is pressed against the abutment during operation of the compress while the doors Ill-ll thereof are closed. The mechanism for activating the platen is omitted from the drawings as any suitable means for that purpose may be employed.

The instant invention is constituted of a group of cooperative connected elements in which are "4 Claims. (01. 1oo 1c) included a hollow beam I2 that is secured at one end to the platen Bjby a hinge 13, which end is closed and the opposite end thereof is open; a hitch-plate l4 longitudinally slidable in the beam and provided with a: longitudinal slot, the inner portion of which has an enlargement l5, and the outer end portion I6 being comparatively narrow; a swinging bar H having a pivotal support l8 securing it at its upper end to a bracket l9 on the cage A at a point above the bottom plane of the abutment I, there being provided an operating handle secured to the bar by which the bar is manipulated laterally; and a chain 2! attached to the distal end of the swinging bar.

The arrangement of the several parts is such that when the doors of the cage are open and the hitch-plate is moved outwardly to a selected position the chain 2| isinsertable through the enlargement l5 of the-slot to a desired extent and then drawn into the, narrow outer end portion IS in said plate, thus locking the chain in connection with the hitch-plate between the adjacent links of the chain, so that upon subsequent downward movement of the platen 9, while the chain and hitch-plate are thus locked together, tilting movement of the hollow beam upon its hinge I3 occurs. Normally the hollow beam lies in the plane and parallel with the slats 22 that ordinarily form the top of the platen, and has the same function as the slats during the process of compressing the material to be baled in the cage, and has a dual function of ejecting the bale from the cage when the doors are opened and the platen is lowered to permit removal of the bale.

Operation In use, a bale is shaped in the usual manner by first lowering the platen and piling thereon the material to be baled and then raising the platen by means of its motivator while the doors of the cage are closed so that the material is compressed between the platen and the abutment, while confined between the doors and the sides of the cage. The compressed body of material while in the cage is exposed by opening the doors and is then bound by applying wire as in the usual practice,after which the swinging bar I! is swung downwardly and the plate is slid outwardly, by th operator, so as to permit insertion of the chain 2| through the enlargement 15 of the slot therein and then slipped into the outer narrow portion l6 of the slot, thus establishing locked connection between the chain and the hitch-plate.

Upon lowering the platen by means of its motivator the hollow beam l2, restrained because of its locked connection through the medium of the hitch-plate with the chain, obstructs the overlying bale (not shown) previously formed in the cage. causing the bale to become ejected from the cage automatically as the platen recedes. Upon removal of the bale from the cage the chain and the hitch-plate are disconnected and the hitch-plate is returned completely into the hollow beam, and the swinging bar then is swung laterally to its uppermost position by the operator so as to clear the adjacent door and permit lowering of the platen for the reception of another charge of material to be baled.

An advantage of the invention is that it is readily installed in an ordinary baler without necessitating alteration thereof and is operated without interference with any of its various parts.

Variations from the particular construction above disclosed may be resorted to by the exercise of skill in the art, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. A bale ejector attachable to a baling machine, consisting of co-operatively associated parts in which are included a hollow beam hinged at one end to a platenof said machine and open at its opposite end, a hitch-plate slidably disposed in said beam and having contiguous wide and narrow slotted portions, an operating bar. pivoted on said machine, and a chain attached to the distal end of the operating bar and having locking engagement with the hitch-plate through the slot therein when positioned in said hollow beam, whereby the beam is tilted to eject a bale from the machine as the platen thereof is lowered.

2. An automatically operated bale ejector for a compress consisting of a hollow member hinged at one end thereof to a platen of said compress, 4

tiguous wide and narrow portions, and a swinging bar pivotally supported on said compress and provided with a pendent chain secured to the distal end thereof adapted to have locking engagement with said hitch-plate through the slot therein when positioned in said hollow member, so that a bale previously formed in the compress is ejected therefrom by said member upon lowering of the platen of said compress.

3. An automatically operated ejector for a compress consisting of a hinged member attached at one end thereof to a platen of said compress, a hitch-plate longitudinally movable in said hinged member, and an operating bar pivotally supported on said compress and provided with means connected therewith adapted to have lockingengagement with said hitch-plate when positioned in'said hinged member, whereby said hinged member is tilted upon lowering of the platen of said compress, after a bale has been formed therein, to eject said bale.

4. An automatically operated bale ejector for a compress consisting of a hinged member attached to a platen of the compress, said hinged member being provided with a sliding hitchplate adapted to be disposed therein, and an operating means removably attached to said hitchplate and having locking engagement with said hitch-plate, when positioned in said hinged member to cause tilting of said member to eject a bale previously formed in said compress therefrom as saidplaten is lowered.

I CARL REICHER'I.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

